Four states agree on unified system

Four participating states and federal Attorney-General
Robert McClelland
agreed on Tuesday night to speed the introduction of national legal profession reforms by resolving outstanding issues before October 1.

Those states – NSW, Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory – also agreed to release publicly the latest version of the new legislation on Friday. They are the only states committed to the reforms after Tasmania and the ACT joined Western Australia and South Australia in opposing them late last month.

Mr McClelland said transitional costs and the location of the host jurisdiction were matters yet to be resolved before an agreement was reached, but participating states had committed to doing this before October. The Law Council of Australia also attended the talks on Tuesday.

NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith said this week the reforms “recognise that the legal profession is not tied to states, cities or towns, but covers the nation".

“Streamlined legislation and a uniform set of national rules will result in simpler regulation, greater flexibility within the regulatory system and consistent consumer protections across Australia," he said.